MANILA – New military sites designated under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the U.S. and the Philippines allowed forces during the bilateral Balikatan exercise to test their strategic effectiveness and work on improvements. The agreement, signed in 2014, originally established six sites, adding four more sites in 2023.
EDCA allows the U.S. to fund infrastructure projects and improve existing Philippine military bases, with rotational U.S. troop deployment. The mutual defense treaty sought to enhance combined training, exercises, and interoperability between U.S. and Philippine militaries.
As per the agreement, the Philippines retains sovereignty and control over the EDCA sites. The U.S. government has funded over $100 million in improvement projects for the modernization of the Philippines Armed Forces. During the Balikatan exercise, three out of four new EDCA sites strategically supported the Philippines’ territorial defense.
U.S. involvement included delivering assets like HIMARS via C-130s at La-Lo airport and medical command posts. The U.S. Army’s 1st Multidomain Task Force operated from Basco, part of the Batanes Islands chain. The JPMRC X deployed west of the international date line in the Philippines aims to assist the Philippine Army in establishing its training center in the vicinity of Fort Magsaysay. Training enhancements with this initiative will focus on territorial defense operations and supporting national sovereignty.
